New Jersey Democratic Lt. Gov. Dale G. Caldwell has resigned following a bombshell ethics and sexual harassment inquiry.
Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill publicly released a 61-page report on Thursday, led by an outside law firm detailing multiple instances of harassment of women and abusing his office. She gave him one day to resign, leading to his swift departure.
“The investigation found that he failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office and demonstrated a pattern of behavior that does not meet the standards of this administration,” the governor said in a statement Friday. “He submitted his resignation to me this afternoon, and I accepted it.”
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The governor has a 45-day window from the effective date of Mr. Caldwell’s resignation to appoint his successor.
In the interim, acting State Comptroller Shirley Emehelu has been named the acting secretary of state to oversee upcoming state elections and manage the Department of State’s responsibilities.
In an interview with The New York Times, Mr. Caldwell, 66, said that he stepped down to avoid being a distraction to the administration, while maintaining that the report’s findings were false.
The report concluded that Mr. Caldwell sexually harassed a female employee, including making a demeaning and sexually suggestive comment to a staff member after making an unsuccessful romantic advance toward the staffer’s friend.
It found that he abused his position, using his official role twice to secure a state promotion for a woman with whom he had a romantic relationship without properly disclosing the relationship.
His attorney, Thomas Calcagni, strongly disputed the findings, criticizing the inquiry as a one-sided process that lacked adequate due process and ignored eyewitness accounts that contradicted the allegations.
The report also found that Mr. Caldwell frequently brought personal guests to ticketed events without paying or reimbursing the state for admission despite prior warnings and training.
Mr. Caldwell denied making the explicit comments attributed to him by investigators and characterized the attendance of guests at events as good-faith errors rather than intentional exploitation of public office.
The probe began after an anonymous letter was sent to state officials in May alleging inappropriate behavior.
Ms. Sherrill, as well as high-profile state leaders like Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, called for his resignation.
Mr. Caldwell, a Methodist pastor who served as both lieutenant governor and secretary of state for only eight months, initially denied the allegations.
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